Component holder for a hall sensor and process for manufacturing a component holder

ABSTRACT

Known Hall sensors are fastened to a printed circuit board by way of component holders in order, by way of the component holders, to achieve an exact positioning and securing on the printed circuit board in relation to a magnet ring of a rotor of an adjusting motor. But a properly manufactured assembly that is executed by means of automatic placement machines is not possible with the known component holders.  
     Therefore a component holder ( 1 ) for a Hall sensor ( 2 ) is proposed, which is partially injection molded only onto the connecting prongs ( 8, 9, 10 ) of the Hall sensor ( 2 ) or is injection molded onto connecting prongs ( 8, 9, 10 ) and at least partially onto a housing ( 12 ) of the Hall sensor ( 2 ).  
     The component holder for a Hall sensor according to the invention is provided for adjusting motors, in particular for window regulator motors of motor vehicles.

PRIOR ART

[0001] The invention is based on a component holder for a Hall sensoraccording to the preamble to claim 1 or 2 and on a process formanufacturing a component holder according to the preamble of claim 9. Acomponent holder for a Hall sensor is already known (German PatentDisclosure 32 35 204), which is placed over the Hall sensor in order tohold it in all directions so that it is possible to position the Hallsensor on a printed circuit board in a narrow radial tolerance range inrelation to a circumferential magnet ring. The component holder hasinjection molded centering pins which can be inserted into correspondingopenings of the printed circuit board. In order to mount the Hallsensor, its connecting prongs are first slid into openings of theprinted circuit board and then the component holder is placed over ituntil the component holder, with its underside, comes into contact withthe surface of the printed circuit board. However, this type of mountingof the Hall sensor and component holder on the printed circuit board iscostly. In addition, the superposition of the component holder does notpermit a play-free seating of the Hall sensor in the component holder.Without a play-free seating, though, it is very difficult to determinewith a high degree of precision the rotational position of a rotor to bedetected that belongs to an adjusting motor. Furthermore, the componentholder known from the prior art is not suited for an automatic placementin mass production by means of an automatic placement machines.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The component holder according to the invention, with thecharacterizing features of claim 1 or 2, as well as the process formanufacturing a component holder according to claim 9, has the advantageover the prior art that a play-free connection of the Hall sensor in thecomponent holder occurs, by means of which the Hall sensor can befastened to a printed circuit board with a high degree of precision inrelation to a magnet ring. It is also particularly advantageous that thecomponent holder according to the invention permits an automaticplacement of the printed circuit board by means of automatic placementmachines in mass production so that assembly costs are reduced.

[0003] Advantageous improvements and updates of the component holderdisclosed in claim 1 and 2, as well as of the process disclosed in claim9, are possible by means of the measures taken in the dependent claims.

DRAWINGS

[0004] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are depicted in simplifiedfashion in the drawings and will be explained in detail in thedescription below.

[0005]FIG. 1 is a perspective depiction of a component holder with aHall sensor in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment according tothe invention,

[0006]FIG. 2 is a front view of the component holder with Hall sensoraccording to the invention in accordance with FIG. 1,

[0007]FIG. 3 is a section through the component holder with Hall sensoraccording to the invention along a line III-III in FIG. 2,

[0008]FIG. 4 is a section through the component holder with Hall sensoraccording to the invention along a line IV-IV in FIG. 2,

[0009]FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the component holder with Hall sensoraccording to the invention,

[0010]FIG. 6 shows a detail of a belt loaded with a Hall sensor with andwithout the component holder according to the invention,

[0011]FIG. 7 is a perspective depiction of the component holder withHall sensor according to a second exemplary embodiment according to theinvention,

[0012]FIG. 8 is a front view of the component holder with Hall sensoraccording to the invention in accordance with FIG. 7,

[0013]FIG. 9 is a section through the component holder with Hall sensoraccording to the invention along a line IX-IX in FIG. 8,

[0014]FIG. 10 is a rear view of the component holder with Hall sensoraccording to the invention in accordance with FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective representation of a component holder 1with a Hall sensor 2 according to a first exemplary embodiment accordingto the invention. For example, the Hall sensor 2 is used in a knownmanner for position detection of the rotational position of a rotor 5that is indicated with dashed lines in FIGS. 3, 4, and 9. The rotor 5 isa component of an adjusting motor, not shown in detail, of the kind thatis used, for example, for window regulator motors or as a sunroof drivemechanism for motor vehicles. Distributed on its circumference, therotor 5 has magnet rings, not shown in detail, which preferably havemulti-poled, permanently magnetized regions. The rotational position ofthe rotor 5 can be determined in a known manner in the cooperation ofthe magnetized regions of the rotor 5 with the Hall sensor 2.

[0016] Hall sensors 2 of this kind have an essentially block-shapedhousing 12. As shown in FIG. 5, a bottom view of the component holder 1with Hall sensor 2, the Hall sensor 2 has three connecting prongs 8, 9,10. The connecting prongs 8, 9, 10 protrude from the housing 12 of theHall sensor 2 essentially at right angles and then extend more or lesssharply angled, partially offset to a sensor side 3 of the Hall sensor 2oriented toward the rotor 5, and continuing from this sensor side 3, forexample as shown in detail in FIG. 3, a section through the componentholder 1 with Hall sensor 2 along a line III-III in FIG. 2, which is afront view of the Hall sensor 2 with component holder 1. As also shownin FIG. 4, a section through the component holder 1 with Hall sensor 2along a line IV-IV in FIG. 2, the connecting prongs 8, 9, 10 providedfor the electrical connection to a printed circuit board 15 are embeddedin their angled region in the component holder 1 that is comprised ofplastic. The component holder 1 is essentially comprised of a part 22that is embodied as block-shaped and extends from an underside 18 of theHall sensor 2, which is oriented toward the printed circuit board 15, tothe vicinity of a surface 20 of the printed circuit board 15. Anotherpart 23 on the component holder 1—which part can be seen in FIGS. 1, 3,and 5, is embodied of one piece with the component holder 1, and isembodied for example as cylindrical—is used as a spacer, which restsagainst the surface 20 of the printed circuit board 15 when thecomponent holder 1 is in the mounted state.

[0017] The component holder 1 is injection molded onto the connectingprongs 8, 9, 10 by means of injection molding tools 28 indicated in FIG.6, which for this purpose encompass the Hall sensor 2 on the housing 12and in the vicinity of the connecting prongs 8, 9, 10 close to thehousing. As shown in detail in FIG. 4, for example two cylindricallyembodied centering pins 25 with conically tapering ends 26 are providedon the block-shaped part 22 of the component holder 1. The centeringpins 25 protrude from the block-shaped part 22 of the component holder 1approximately at right angles. The connecting prongs 8, 9, 10 have afirst section 35, which protrudes at approximately right angles from theunderside 18 of the Hall sensor 2 and transitions into a second section36, which extends parallel to the surface 20 of the printed circuitboard 15 or at a slight incline in relation to the surface 20, and thenfinally transitions into an end section 37, which extends approximatelyparallel to the centering pins 25 and lateral to the surface 20 of theprinted circuit board 15. Preferably, the sections 35 and 36 arecompletely bonded into the plastic of the component holder 1 and the endsection 37 is only partially bonded into it. The centering pins 25extend slightly longer lateral to the surface 20 of the printed circuitboard 15 than the connecting prongs 8, 9, 10. The connecting prong 8extends between the two centering pins 25 and, as shown in FIG. 5, forexample forms a triangle with the two other connecting prongs 8, 9, 10and represents the apex of this triangle.

[0018] The centering pins 25 are used on the one hand for exactlypositioning the Hall sensor 2 on the printed circuit board 15 shown inFIGS. 2, 3, and 4, and on the other hand for securing the componentholder 1 with the Hall sensor 2 to the printed circuit board 15. Asshown in detail in FIG. 4, the printed circuit board 15 hascorresponding openings 16 for receiving the centering pins 25 as well asthree other openings 17 for receiving the connecting prongs 8, 9, 10.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 6, the injection molding of the component holder1 can for example be carried out in such a way that at first, the Hallsensor 2, without a component holder 1, is situated with its connectingprongs 8, 9, 10 on a belt 27. Belts 27 of this kind, which are loadedwith a multitude of Hall sensors 2, are usually provided in massproduction in automatic placement machines in order to affix theelectrical components attached to the belts 27 to the printed circuitboard 15 by way of mounting means that are not shown in detail. By meansof the injection molding tools 28 indicated in FIG. 6, the componentholder 1 can simply be injection molded onto the Hall sensors 2 fastenedto the belt 27 so that the placement onto the printed circuit board 15can take place in another step of the process by way of mounting meansthat are not shown in detail. It is also conceivable, however, toinjection mold the component holder 1 without the belt 27 onto the Hallsensor 2 in order to permit the supply to the automatic placementmachine by way of automatic vibrating machines that are not shown indetail.

[0020] FIGS. 7 to 10 show a second exemplary embodiment wherein all ofthe parts that are the same or function in the same manner areidentified with the same reference numerals of the first exemplaryembodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 6. As is shown particularly clearlyin FIG. 9, a section through the component holder 1 with Hall sensor 2along a line IX-IX in a front view of the component holder 1 with Hallsensor 2 according to FIG. 8, it is also possible in addition topartially injection molding the connecting prongs 8, 9, 10 into theplastic of the component holder 1, to also injection mold regions of thehousing 12 of the Hall sensor 2 along with them. As a result, a furtherstabilization of the Hall sensor 2 in its position in the componentholder 1 can be achieved so that it is possible for there to be aparticularly precise alignment of its sensor side 3, which extendsessentially lateral to the surface 20 of the printed circuit board 15and is for the most part free of plastic. A sensor side 4 of the Hallsensor 2 disposed opposite the sensor side 3 is for the most partcovered with plastic, wherein an opening 30 in the plastic of thecomponent holder 1 produces a communication of the sensor side 4 of theHall sensor 2 with the surroundings. It is also conceivable, however, tocover the sensor side 4 of the Hall sensor 2 completely with plastic. Asshown in FIG. 10, a side view of the sensor side 3 of the Hall sensor 2that is for the most part free of plastic, this Hall sensor 2 can alsobe partially framed on its outer edge by a plastic rim 40 of thecomponent holder 1.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 9, the centering pins 25, which are embodied forexample as square in the second exemplary embodiment, have detent meansthat are formed, for example, onto two respective opposite sides of thesquare of the centering pin 25. The detent means is embodied, forexample, in the form of a flap-like thickening 24, which tapers towardthe free end 26 of the centering pin 25, and is deformed elasticallyinward when the centering pin 25 is inserted into the opening 16 of theprinted circuit board 15 so that after the complete insertion, thethickening 24 engages in detent fashion behind an underside 21 of theprinted circuit board 15 remote from the component holder 1.

[0022] It is also possible, however, with the centering pin 25 accordingto the first exemplary embodiment, which is embodied as cylindrical, toembody the detent means in the form of a circumferential bead 32,indicated with dashed lines in FIG. 4, which tapers toward the free end26 of the centering pin 25 and likewise permits a securing of thecomponent holder 1 to the printed circuit board 15 by means of detentengagement behind the underside 21 of the printed circuit board 15.However, it is also conceivable to provide differently embodied detentmeans, such as detent hooks or the like provided on the centering pins25. It is naturally also possible to provide the detent means not on thecentering pins 25, but for example on the block-shaped part 22 of thecomponent holder 1.

1. A component holder for a Hall sensor, which is comprised of plasticand has at least one centering pin for the disposition of the Hallsensor on a printed circuit board, wherein connecting prongs forelectrical contact protrude from a housing of the Hall sensor,characterized in that the component holder (1) is injection molded onlyonto the connecting prongs (8, 9, 10) of the Hall sensor (2).
 2. Acomponent holder for a Hall sensor, which is comprised of plastic andhas at least one centering pin for the disposition of the Hall sensor ona printed circuit board, wherein connecting prongs for electricalcontact protrude from a housing of the Hall sensor, characterized inthat the component holder (1) is injection molded onto the connectingprongs (8, 9, 10) and at least partially onto the housing (12) of theHall sensor (2).
 3. The component holder according to claim 1 or 2,characterized in that sections (35, 36) of the connecting prongs (8, 9,10) that are embodied as angled are completely enclosed by the plasticof the component holder (1).
 4. The component holder according to claim1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one centering pin (25) has adetent means (24) for engaging in detent fashion with the printedcircuit board (15).
 5. The component holder according to claim 1 or 2,characterized in that the detent means is embodied in the form of athickening (24) on the at least one centering pin (25) and thisthickening tapers toward the free end (26) of the at least one centeringpin (25).
 6. The component holder according to claim 2, characterized inthat a sensor side (3) of the Hall sensor (2) oriented toward a rotor(5) of a motor is for the most part free of the plastic covering of thecomponent holder (1).
 7. The component holder according to claim 2,characterized in that a sensor side (4) of the Hall sensor (2) remotefrom a rotor (5) of a motor is for the most part covered by the plasticof the component holder (1).
 8. The component holder according to claim1 or 2, characterized in that the housing (12) of the Hall sensor (2) isblock-shaped.
 9. A process for manufacturing a component holder for aHall sensor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a belt (27)is provided, which has connecting prongs (8, 9, 10) of the Hall sensor(2) fastened to it and is disposed spaced apart from the housing (12) ofthe Hall sensor (2), and the belt (27) is supplied to a plasticinjection molding tool (28) in such a way that the injection moldingtool (28) at least partially encloses the Hall sensor (2) at the housing(12) and at the connecting prongs (8, 9, 10) and that through theintroduction of softened plastic into the injection molding tool (28),the component holder (1) is injection molded onto the Hall sensor (2).